Dark Corridor
by EternalRevival
Summary: Petra wakes up with amnesia, a husband she can't remember, and a ghost of a deceased child that only she can see. Trying to help Eren reunite with Levi, Petra mends her relationship with Oluo and quickly realizes that she's in far deeper than she should. Sequel to Spiral of Doom but can be read alone.
1. Chapter 1

**AN-** **This is a sequel to Spiral of Doom although it can be read alone. I admit there is something very lack luster about my writing that makes it feel dull and somewhat emotionless. If anyone has suggestions on how to improve this, I would gladly listen.**

The first thing she could hear was the slight sound of buzzing in her ears. An irritating noise that she tried to push to the back of her mind while she slept, but the sound was persistent and refused to subside. Within minutes, it grew in momentum into a large wailing, like sirens. Petra opened her eyes but immediately closed them from the harsh lights, her eyes dimming as the colors of red and blue streaked across the sky and she slowly allowed the darkness to once again consume her amid the buzzing noises of shouting and screaming.

Deeply, within the voids of her mind, she could barely hear the sound of crying and sobbing right beside her.

The next time Petra woke up, she was immersed with the sudden feeling of pain. There was the slight constant ache that pounded against her head, the dull thrum of her heartbeat against her ribcage and the painful ragging breath that was forced out of her lungs and raked against her throat. With a pained groan, Petra arose, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light that penetrated from the window. Her fingers slightly twitched in irritation from the sudden onslaught of light before her hand reached upward to block and defend herself from the oncoming sunlight.

What had happened?

Blinking away the pain, Petra could feel a heavy weight settled against her side forcing her eyes to widen as she craned her neck slightly. She blinked back her surprise upon finding a man siting on the plastic chair near the bedside, his body leaning forward until his arms rested on the bed's railing, his head still buried within the mounds of a pillow that he was holding. Petra could hear the sound of snoring almost as much as she could feel it, the slight tremor of each breathe that came out sounding more like the snore of a carnivorous bear than that of a normal human.

There was a moment of hesitance and shock as Petra could not remember having ever seen this man. Her body immediately recoiling away from the foreign body and her immediate reaction was to flinch away from the unknown. This, however, jostled the man awake as he bolted upward in surprise, while, at the same time, letting out an undignified snort. The man let out a wide yawn and took a moment to stretch before opening his eyes. He then, upon seeing Petra, jumped in shock causing the pillow to fall onto the floor as his eyes widened and he shouted, "You're awake!"

Petra immediately flinched at the sudden action and loud noise as her eyes widened in a slight moment of fear. The man immediately sat back down while letting out a slight cough to hide his embarrassment, his cheeks noticeably a deeper shade of red.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Petra only stared at him in confusion which gave the man a wrong impression as he had immediately backtracked, waving his hands in the air as some form of an apology while stuttering out. After the man continued to stutter with no sign of stopping, Petra decided to butt in.

"Umm, excuse me …. ," she started quietly while flinching at the sudden ache in her throat and the sound of sand paper grating on wood that was her voice., "But who are you?"

The man stopped his ramblings, his hands frozen in the air in mid-sentence with his mouth still open in shock. His eyes only stared dully back at Petra for a long moment before he narrowed his eyes at her, his hands slowly falling back to his sides with a stoic look making its way permanently across his face. Petra immediately knew this was the wrong question to ask and was about to apologize and demand he forget what she had said but the man beat her to it. "Is this some kind of joke?" he said quietly, all signs of happiness disappearing from his face, replace by seriousness and underlying sense of worry. "I know I've never been the best husband, but please tell me your joking."

Petra's eyes widened as she reeled back in surprise at the sudden confession. Husband!? When did she have a husband?! No, that can't be right. She would have remembered if she ever dated someone much less married them! Surely this man was trying to deceive her, but what ludicrous was this?

"I don't remember you," Petra said simply and was about to smack him if he dared say otherwise because obviously this man was not her husband. Did she even have a husband?

The man stared back at her for a long moment before he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder which surprisingly soothed Petra and stopped her immediate reaction of mistrust and to shrug off any sense of familiarity and comfort. He paused while taking a deep breath as if unsure of what to say at that moment before whispering in a quiet yet soothing voice that made Petra's heart lurch. "Do you remember anything? Anything at all?" he asked, somewhat desperately.

"My name is Petra and … ," Petra trailed off as she racked her brain for more information. My name is Petra and … and what? Surely there was more? But no, for the life of her, she could not remember what else was her life. She couldn't think of a single other fact to give the man standing before her other than her name. That was to say if Petra really is her name. Desperately she scanned her surroundings in an attempt to reawaken a lost memory, to jostle some familiar presence that could remind her of what had transpired, yet she was met with nothing but the slight dull headache that protested upon the sudden haze of searching.

She had noticed the white walls, the beeping machines, the needles and tubes, and the heavy, acrid smell of medicine. Immediately recognizing the familiar surroundings of a hospital, Petra couldn't help but startle in surprise. Why was she in a hospital? What had happened?

Watching her every movement like a hawk, the man gave out a deep sigh of sadness and regret upon seeing Petra's wildly panicking face, her eyes filled with sudden fear at the lack of memory and knowledge. All of which had obviously escaped her. The man rubbed his temple slightly before squeezing Petra's shoulder in an attempt to calm her. "Don't worry about it, maybe the memories will come back on their own."

But that had been a week ago. Petra had already been allowed to return home although home was far from anything that she recognized. The two of them, her and Oluo, as he later told her, lived alone in a small four roomed apartment as they could not afford anything larger. Oluo worked at the police station while Petra worked as a nurse in the very same hospital that she had just been omitted from which explained all the staff members constantly doting and fussing over her.

The two of them had been high school sweethearts back in the days and married against their parents wishes as soon as they had graduated from community college. Since then, they have been together for a little less than a year while still trying to rack up all of the money to pay the rent and debt which Oluo would not tell her from what it came from.

Oh, and Oluo had an odd habit of biting his tongue at an average of five times a day, seven if you flustered him.

Within the week after the incident, Petra had regained no memory of her life nor the incident itself that has left her in this state, and each time she had asked Oluo what had happened, the man had merely denied knowing anything, only saying that he had been asked to come to the hospital after she had befallen an accident. The only things Petra knew of her life now were the things that Oluo told her, and that wasn't much to go by. Yet, it continued to befuddle her as to how she could not remember. Why couldn't she remember anything?

However, within that week, she had also noticed how distanced the two seemed although she could not understand if it came from her sudden amnesia or if it had always been this way. The two were always awkward around each other and Oluo would often stumble over his words when speaking to her. Petra could not understand what type of relationship had befallen the two of them as Oluo seemed eternally afraid of upsetting her and Petra still did not understand the man enough to try starting a conversation without an initiative from the other. Was this really her husband? Although he was a very sweet and kind, they treated each other as strangers and Petra could not imagine ever seeing herself marrying him.

One day, as Oluo had left for work during a nigh shift. Petra was left alone at the empty apartment room seeing as the doctors had yet to approve she return to work. It had started raining an hour after Oluo's departure and Petra could only stare out the large window that lead to the balcony. Her eyes cast into the gloomy shadows of the proceeding storm, watching as the rain fell in torrents of heavy down pour. It was then that she saw it.

Everything was dark, the clouds thickened into a dark ashened gray, almost black. Rain was pelting against her face like arrows as she watched them fall from the sky. Was she lying on the ground, but why? She could not remember falling onto the ground. Her visions was blurry as she could barely make out the shape of someone above her. A boy? He was screaming at her and crying while his hands reached out to shake her arm and trying to force her to get up.

Petra slowly turned her eyes to look at him but, it seemed that the more she attempted to look directly at him, the less visible he became. His face distorting before her eyes as edges of her vision became blurry and succumbed to the darkness. She could feel the rain falling onto her cheek although it could have also been the tears of the boy. The boy. Who was he? There was a second of paused silence as Petra struggled to open her mouth and ask him what had happened, but as soon as she found the strength to attempt to speak, the boy disappeared and everything was black again.

Petra awoke to the smell of black coffee, the thick aroma wafting throughout the room leaving a sense of familiarity and comfort that delved deep into Petra's mind. A smell she recognized despite her waning memories. A moment of paused hesitation, Petra looked around the room in confusion. She was back at the apartment and she barely noted a slight throbbing pain that pounded against her head behind her eyelids even as she closed them, hoping to block the pain. But, if anything, this made it worse as there was nothing to divert her concentration from the pain which forced Petra to open her eyes towards the blinding lights and drink in the smell of coffee in an attempt to forget of the oncoming headache. She was currently laying on the old futon that Oluo had proudly claimed was the first present he had bought her on their fifth date which Petra had jokingly asked him if he had forgotten to get her something the first four dates which had left the man a spluttering mess. She could also see lights streaming through the doorway that lead to the kitchen.

It was Oluo who then appeared from the doorway, the sound of his feet shuffling against the kitchen floor, barely concealed by the sound of rain pattering against the window. The man was holding a mug of coffee, a newspaper in his other hand, but upon seeing Petra awake, his eyes widened and he immediately rushed towards her. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, checking her over as if worried that she had once again fallen victim to amnesia. Petra only smiled in amusement at his antics and found his quirky personality rather humorous yet surprisingly sweet.

Even as she insisted she was fine, the man continued to fester over her in obvious fear as if she had been on death row. "I came home and saw you collapsed! I was going to call for an ambulance but-,"

"Tell me what you know about the accident," Petra interrupted, knowing that the man wouldn't stop his ramblings for another hour if she didn't. Oluo paused, deep in thought, before he let out a heavy sigh of frustration as if he didn't want to remember the incident. "I don't know much, but it was a rainy day. You were walking home when you were suddenly struck by a car on the intersection and then administrated to the hospital after the driver frantically called for an ambulance." Oluo spoke hesitantly, and after a moments pause asked why.

"I think I remembered what happened," Petra spoke slowly. "Although everything is really hazy right now, and I don't quite remember _how_ it happened." Petra then paused slightly in confusion upon seeing Oluo's eyes widen in surprise, and at the same time, a slight tinge of fear, but when Petra tilted her head slightly in confusion, wordlessly asking him what was wrong, the man merely waved his hand, prompting her to continue. Petra then paused, trying to remember what had happened in her vision before asking worriedly, "How's the little boy, was he hurt?"

Oluo reeled back in surprise. "What?" he asked perplexed. His eyes drawing in together in confusion, a sure sign that he was bewildered. "The boy," Petra insisted. "The boy at the accident, the one who was next to me crying when it happened. Is he okay?" Oluo hesitated for a moment before placing his forehead against her's.

"I think you should go back to sleep, your obviously delirious and you might be running a fever. Perhaps I should call your doctor and see if this is a side effect from that amnesia."

"But the boy, he was there. Please just tell me if he's okay," Petra spoke worriedly when Oluo refused to answer, the man still insisting she rest while trying to pull the covers over her in the makeshift bed. When Petra refused and continued to insistent on Oluo's answer, the man finally let out a breathe of frustration while squinting his eyes shut in slight annoyance. "There was no boy with you during the time of the accident. The driver only saw you, and you were alone."


	2. Chapter 2

Petra was bored at home, biggest understatement of the universe. She was downright sulking in completely disinterest. There was nothing she could do in the apartment complex alone, not without the fear of touching something that wasn't hers. Even if Oluo had declared everything in their small, humble abode hers, she still couldn't come to terms with her lack of memory that everything was indeed hers, so she had ended up afraid to touch anything.

After another half hour of walking around the house, attempting to trigger memories, Petra gave up with a slight sigh of irritation before beginning a long debate in her head on whether or not she should go walk outside looking at the food stalls or perhaps window shop. She knew for a fact that there were multiple stalls on the main street with many small, cute trinkets, but it would take a while to walk there and back, for Petra didn't dare hail a taxi, and that would take to long. By the time she would arrive at the main street, it would already be nightfall and Oluo would be returning home. The poor man would probably have a heart attack upon seeing her missing and then promptly call the police, or perhaps demand that he himself go searching for her. Nope, going to main street for window shopping was definitely a bad idea.

But she was so bored and she had yet to receive the okay to return to work. And with that, Petra was left with no other choice but attempt to find Oluo. Really, how hard could it be?

Petra arrived at the police station, a building wider than it was tall. The two story building circling around the paved road with a circular ring up front that proudly waved the station's insignia proudly on a flag just below the nation's flag. Staring upward, Petra clenched her hand around the boxes of food she had prepared before heaving out a sigh of determination and willing herself to enter the building.

Petra was immediately blasted with cold air upon entering the building which caused her to shiver slightly before she glanced around the room. A nice, clean building with white walls and marbled flooring that must have cost a pretty penny. Stone pillars surrounded the front desk that also had a marble counter suspended by wooden beams. The man at the front desk looked up in surprise before his face beamed with happiness upon seeing Petra which caused the said woman to reel back in surprise.

"Petra!" the man shouted out happily. "I haven't seen you in a long while. You don't usually swing by here anymore."

Petra blinked back her surprise and confusion before letting out a nervous smile, but the man remained oblivious to her sudden take of amnesia as he continued to speak as if they were old friends. "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't come to visit anymore, not after that big fight with Oluo."

What? Petra could only stare in surprise when another man came strolling into the room. This man took one glance at Petra's shocked face before walking towards the first man, which she later found out his name was Gunther, and then proceeded to smack the back of his head with his book, hard. Petra flinched as she heard the sound of a painful hit, but Gunther didn't seem at all fazed, his thick skull more than used to the brutality. Instead, he merely rubbed the back of his head before turning to yell at the other man, who's name turned out to be Eld.

Eld merely rolled his eyes in annoyance before turning to Petra with an apologetic face. "Sorry for Gunther's meddling. I assume your here to visit Oluo. He's at his office on the second floor." Petra nodded her head in thanks before waving goodbye to the odd pair and then quickly walking up the set of stairs on the side of the building, yet her mind was troubled and plagued with doubt.

She had a fight with Oluo?

Oluo, just as Eld had said, was located on the second floor in his office. A small office with a window on the left side, a wooden desk placed in the middle with an office chair resting behind. Oluo himself leaning back on the said chair while idly spinning, a packet of papers in his right hand as he mumbled words to himself.

Petra paused at the open door before knocking hesitantly against the door frame whilst still balancing the boxes of food and tea she had brought. Oluo immediately jumped in surprise while startling from his chair, almost succeeding in falling off before recomposing himself. "Petra!" he shouted in surprise while quickly placing the papers back onto his desk, his attention suddenly fixated on her. Petra couldn't help but smile in amusement at his antics before showing him the boxes and then pulling out the food which Oluo had eagerly taken as she set up the tea.

"I thought I'd come by and visit. Is that okay?" Petra asked casually, yet her voice was laced with worry seeing as Gunther had told her that she had not done so in a long time, and probably for good reason too, but Oluo only waved his hand and smiled at her. The man simply replying that he was glad she had come and her presence was always welcome. The two were then left in silence as Oluo continued reading and checking the files while occasionally taking long sips of his tea. Petra could now understand why she had fallen for this man. She welcomed the feeling of peace and serenity as her heart calmed at Oluo's mere presence. But there was still the question that sat at the tip of Petra's tongue, burning with her curiosity to ask, yet somehow, she knew that asking would ruin the peace and quiet, so instead, she bit her tongue and kept silent.

There were many things Petra had yet to remember, but a part of her was slightly glad for the amnesia because it gave her a chance to fall in love with her husband again.

Petra had begun to make it a habit to come visit Oluo throughout his work hours whenever the boredom became unbearable or she simply wanted to see him again. Each time, she could feel a little part of her heart melt into the warmth of her love for the man. She enjoyed the short moments of silence shard between the two while getting to know Eld and Gunther more though the two still seemed oblivious to her sudden loss of memory. They were certainly an interesting pair that bordered along the lines of respect and annoyance aimed towards each other that never failed to make Petra laugh.

It was one day, when Petra was walking up the spiraled stairs towards Oluo's office while balancing a box of cookies that she had proudly learned to make through the use of a cook book, her own handwriting in the margins having perfected the recipe, that she saw him. A man, barely taller than herself with black hair and sharp silver eyes like daggers. His sudden presence shocking Petra as she had never seen him before on her daily visits, and he wore no uniform. The sudden shock caused Petra to jostle backwards which caused the top box to fall from her grasp. Petra's eyes widened in horror as she tried to reach out and grab it but to no avail as the box began its journey down the stairs.

Suddenly, the man reached out and grabbed the box with one hand before glancing at it and then handing it back to Petra wordlessly. "Thank you … ," Petra whispered in shock as the man began to walk away as if nothing happened. She could only stare at his retreating back as he turned around the bend. After a paused moment of silence, Petra was about to continue her route upstairs when she froze. Where the man had been standing was a footprint. A fresh, bloody footprint with a sliver of crimson, red slowly trickling down the steps.


	3. Chapter 3

Petra raked her hand through her hair again as she couldn't help but allow a deep sigh to pass through her lips. Her legs already exhausted from all the walking due to her obvious inability to remember where everything was located. It wasn't her fault really. She had used the map given to her and had glanced at it every two minutes, because really that's how long it took for her to become completely lost in a hospital no less. The map seemed to live for the whole sake of tricking her as twice she had found herself in the middle of secluded hallways, dead ends, and now she couldn't even find the nurse station. How in the world can she not find the nurse's station?! Wait, no, the question she should be asking is why in the world the nurse's station isn't on the first floor by the front desk!? Didn't visitors need to find the nurse station everyday? How did they do it?

She had returned to work and had been given a slight rundown of everything from the manager before being ordered to bring a report to the nurse station as if the slight walkthrough would trigger her memories and remind her of where everything was, but she was sorely wrong as Petra had become lost in record time, a whopping two minutes to be exact. She had then be forced to, embarrassingly if she might add, ask for a map of the hospital's layout which the woman at the front desk had given her with a quizzical look.

Petra, for the life of her, could not find anything in the hospital that she had apparently worked in for the past six months which all whittled down to nothing seeing as she couldn't even find the bathroom anymore, now _that_ was an embarrassment and a complete disaster. Petra didn't even want to think about what had transpired then.

But where was she now? She knew she had taken a left turn at the cafeteria and a right turn upon seeing the set of stairs but where was the stupid elevator? There was no way she was going to climb five stories of stairs without finding that dang elevator first, and if its broken, she was going to quit the whole adventure and call in sick because this was becoming pathetic and the only thing Petra had achieved for the whole afternoon was to completely make a fool of herself.

"Petra, what are you doing here? Are you alright?" a voice called out from the other side of the corridor causing Petra to immediately spin around in surprise while trying to bite back the frustration that had grown through her recent, humiliating, escapades. She recognized the voice and the face of the woman standing before her but the name seemed to have escaped her ever failing memory. The woman, Petra's supposed co-worker, immediately recognized her face of stress and agony, and thankfully, patted her shoulder reassuringly while asking her where she needed to go.

By the time the two had arrived at the nurse's station, the manager had already declared Petra abstrusely late and had berated her angrily before proclaiming that she would allow it to slide with a simple warning after seeing Petra continuously apologizing and bowing her head to repent. After that, the manager, Nanaba, left. Her face still stern with her ever present seriousness, yet Petra could see the undeniable underlying sense of worry that had wormed its way into the manager's eyes. "That was a close call," the woman from before sighed out in relief upon seeing the manager's departure, her eyes alighted with laughter, obviously having found the whole ordeal rather exciting. "Thanks for helping me … ," Petra trailed off slightly while trying to think of the woman's name which had evaded her memory and this thought troubled her as the two were obviously close, yet she could not remember even the slightest memory much less a simple name to connect.

"Mina, my name is Mina," the woman said thoughtfully, her eyes downcast worriedly as if the thought of Petra forgetting her pained her which troubled Petra as she didn't want to hurt her anyone, especially not someone who obviously knew her well. "I'm sorry," Petra apologized sadly as she watched Mina's expressions, the other woman immediately looking up in surprise at this before her eyes went downcast again. "Do you … do you remember anything?"

Petra looked up in surprise but shook her head slightly in confusion at the sudden question. She _knew_ some things about her past life, all thanks to Oluo, but she had not truly _remembered_ them on her own. Mina's eyes squinted slightly in sadness and worry. "I see," she spoke quietly. "So, you don't remember the accident at all?" Petra once again shook her head. There was a slight pause before Mina put a gentle hand on Petra's shoulder as if trying to reassure herself that Petra wouldn't run away before giving her shoulder a slight, nervous squeeze.

"Petra, there is something I should tell you about the accident."

Petra could only stare at Mina in confusion, her eyes boring into Mina's, searching for any clues, but Mina refused to look at her directly, eyes still staring intently at the floor before she suddenly turned to look at Petra with determination, eyes ablaze with sadness. "I know its not my place to tell you, but I want you to be aware that they think … they think it was suicide."

000

Petra's fingers twitched in anticipation, her right foot drumming against the floor boards in a nervous frenzy. Should she ask or should she not? The question continued to befuddle Petra as she swam in self doubt and confusion at the latest revelation.

Should she ask? Should she not? Petra could feel a headache starting to form over her inner turmoil but she suppressed it. No, she had to find out. No more backing out.

As usual, Oluo returned home a few minutes before seven. His coat held tightly around his throat to protect him from the raging wind as the man had hunkered down into his trench coat, hat sitting snugly on his head over his frozen ears. The man's whole face lit up upon seeing Petra and he smiled a greeting at her as she also responded in her usual form of 'welcome back'. Oluo had once told her that their usual greeting had been a kiss to the cheek, but Petra had to feel completely at ease to give the other kisses and from what she had heard from their friends and co-workers, their relationship had steadily been breaking apart since their marriage. Despite only having known the man for a mere month since the sudden amnesia, Petra couldn't help but feel this news settle heavily against her heart, leaving a painful feeling of heart ache.

Petra had already set up dinner, still slowly brewing along the stove as Oluo came in, kicking off his shoes at the front door as Petra could hear the sound of residue water squeaking against the floor boards. The man then shuffling lazily around the room as he hung up is excessive clothes and began to relax in a chair in front of the radiator, his hands held above the air vent in an attempt to warm up quicker.

"Oluo," Petra started nervously, her fingers clenched tightly around one of the kitchen chairs as she stared at her husband intently. The man in question made a noncommittal grunt of acknowledgment as he still had yet to turn around, attempting to soak up as much warmth as possible. "Oluo," Petra continued. "We need to talk."

There must have been something about her voice, stern or worried, but whatever it had been, it had caught Oluo's attention as the man had immediately stopped rubbing his hands together and instead turned fully to stare Petra directly in the eyes. His eyes stared into hers for a long moment, hazel looking at amber. Petra had never seen his expression so serious, so suddenly grim, but it was too late to take back her question, no matter how much she wished she could live in obliviousness, no matter how much she wanted to pretend none of this existed and to just start anew. She had to know. Her quest for the truth far outweighing the consequences that were sure to follow.

"Is it true?" she asked, voice steady despite her heart raging against her rib cage and the fear she felt to know the answer, or worse, to see Oluo leave her once the truth escaped into the open for all to see. To his credit, Oluo did not beat around the bush as Petra thought he would. The situation too grim for even him to conjure a lying excuse. The man searched Petra's gaze, looking at the determination and fear that swelled into her eyes. He was always proud to tell his wife that he could read her every emotion although to be truthful, it had nothing to do with his skills but rather her lack of ability to hold in those emotions. She was as easy to read as a picture book, and yet, that's what Oluo had always loved about her. Her devotion and her lack of fear at letting her emotions show.

But now, Oluo hated it. He couldn't stare at her face, not with her eyes so filled with raw, pure emotion to the point that he knew immediately what she wanted to say even before she opened her mouth. Instead, he looked away and stared intently at the floor. "Petra," he whispered quietly. "We don't know for certain, but it looked that way."

Petra had known that Mina would not lie to her, the women, despite only knowing and trusting her for a short while, was far to kind to do such a formidable thing. But for Oluo to actually confirm it without a fuss or even an attempt to cover or defend anything was a brutal kick from reality. Petra's grip on the chair tightened as she pulled it out and collapsed her full weight onto the chair, body completely limp against the kitchen table. Her fingers quivered in shock and confusion as her head slowly began to pound in a dull ache, a usual occurrence ever since the accident. "How … ?" Petra asked befuddled.

Oluo paused before speaking, "I wasn't there, but the driver and some witnesses told the police that you had run right through a red light into the oncoming traffic and straight into a car. They thought it might have been a suicide attempt because they couldn't find a single reason as to why you would suddenly run in front of a car."

There was no accusations in Oluo's voice. It was as if he did not blame her for wanting to leave him, his eyes to filled with sadness and self pity. Petra was too stunned to say anything as Oluo merely continued. "Before the accident … , before your amnesia, I admit I was a horrible husband. I've done horrible things, and I dragged you down with me. You were so sick of it, we would fight every time we saw each other to the point that you couldn't stand being around me. And when I heard what had happened … , to be truthful, I wasn't surprised. I had thought you had finally given up on me because I'm a horrible husband, and I haven't deserved you. I didn't blame you for hating me, and I didn't blame you for wanting to end your own life, for wanting to leave me. When they said you would survive, I thought I would see you wake up and then I would pack my things and leave, but when you had amnesia, I had thought … , I had hoped this would be my chance to start over. To become a husband worthy of your love, but it seems, even that is impossible." Oluo's voice shook, his fingers clenched together as he held his hand over his eyes in an attempt to cover the onslaught of tears. His teeth gritted together in pain and Petra could see he had bit his tongue as a slight trickle of blood rolled down his chin.

Seeing her husband like this, hearing his confession, caused Petra's heart to wrench and twist painfully. She had originally planned to yell at him for lying, for not telling her the truth immediately, but now she hesitated. She could see the obvious pain it had left him in, the revelation almost too unbearable, so she let it go and forgave him.

Slowly, she got up. Oluo, seeming to assume this meant she would leave him, allowed a sob to rip through his lips as tears began to pour down his cheeks, although he refused to let her see, his hand still covering half of his face from the world. His pride once again getting in the way. However, Petra did not leave as she walked towards her husband and then leaned over to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders and neck. "Let's start over," she whispered quietly as she felt Oluo's body stiffen and then relax. His body still shaking with tremors as he continued to hold back tears.


	4. Chapter 4

For the following week, Oluo had done exactly as he had promised. The two treated each other more as newly found lovers, exploring their relationship slowly as if they were just dating. It was thrilling, and Petra enjoyed every second she spent with Oluo. The two of them had traveled through the stalls on main street and explored the public visiting areas which had left the two breathless with laughter.

Petra still refused to ask Oluo of their past, and the man, in turn, didn't bring it up. She didn't want their new found relationship to end, and the past was best meant to be forgotten. The accident, the amnesia, nothing mattered now. Until Petra went to work on the second week.

Petra had been bringing files up to her desk as it held information on a recently newly administered resident that had just registered for a transfer. They had asked for a residence home close by, but that was proving more difficult than she had originally thought as they poor resident had been turned down by multiple places. With a heavy sigh and a heavy heart, Petra was prepping herself to tell the client of the bad news.

She was walking down the hallway, the folder held loosely in one hand as she also held a cup of coffee that was distributed freely from the lounge in the other. Although it was far from her preference of tea, it was the only option compared to their free tea bags. It was then that she saw a flash of green in the corner of her eye causing her to startle and stop in surprise.

Standing in the middle of the hallway was a young boy that couldn't possible be older than eight. The boy had startling bright green eyes that had immediately attracted Petra's attention. The young child was clearly lost as his large eyes stared back and forth along the hallway, searching for something. It was quite adorable to be honest, but Petra couldn't understand what a child was doing alone in a hallway on the eighth floor no less. The eighth floor was filled with the most sick clients and was highly dangerous if the boy ended up finding himself near a contagious patient.

"Excuse me," Petra called out as she leaned down to see the boy more clearly, "are you lost?" The boy's eyes widened in shock as if he had not expected her to notice him. He continued to stare at her for a long moment, eyes still in the same state of perplexed shock until he shouted out happily, "You're okay!"

Petra blinked back her surprise. "What?" The boy continued, oblivious to her surprise. "I was so worried when you wouldn't wake up, but I'm so glad your okay now!"

"Wait … ," Petra spoke slowly before dropping her coffee and the files onto the floor, her hands suddenly grabbing the child's shoulders as her eyes widened in horror. She barely noticed the boy's almost unnoticeable flinch at her sudden contact. "It was you!" she almost shouted at him.

"Your the boy who was with me the day of the accident."

The boy stared at her for a second before his eyes fell to the floor and he shuffled his feet against the ground. "I heard the doctors say you had amnesia, but I had hoped … I'm so sorry … It's all my fault … ," he spoke sadly as his tiny fists began to clench against his side. "It was my fault you were hurt."

What? Petra had remembered hearing the boy crying out to her. At the time, she had been in too much pain and exhaustion to attempt to comfort the boy, but she had certainly remembered him trying to wake her and screaming at her. But she didn't remember what had happened before that event. Was she saving him? But when she had asked Oluo what had happened, he had told her that there was no one with her, and Petra did not think he was simply lying. But now she had actual proof that there was someone with her, but that didn't add up. What was going on?

"Ma'am, are you okay?" the boy asked which shook Petra out of her thoughts. "Yes," Petra replied with a firm shake of her head. Her first responsibility was to make sure the boy found his guardian and then she could ask his parents to hopefully clear up any confusions. "What's your name?" Petra asked the boy. The boy immediately let out a beaming smile. "My name's Eren! What's yours miss?" "I'm Petra," she responded quickly. "We should find your parents, okay? Do you know where you last saw them?"

Eren, who had been holding onto Petra's hand, immediately let go and began to back away. Petra looked down at the young boy in surprise as Eren continued to shift backwards, and when she had reached out to grab his hand, he had immediately flinched and avoided her. "What's wrong?" Petra asked worriedly. She once again stooped down in hopes of looking less intimidating to the other, but this did little to ease Eren's fear.

"Petra," Eren spoke softly. "You must know that-"

"Petra? What are you doing on the floor?" Mina called out. The women walking around the bend and looking at Petra in surprise, but upon seeing the file and styrofoam cup on the ground, began to panic. "Oh no! You didn't fall and hurt yourself did you? Are you alright, can you stand?" she asked worriedly.

"Umm, I'm fine," Petra replied while standing up and dusting herself off. "I'm just helping Eren find his parents."

Mina tilted her head in surprise. "Eren, who's Eren?" Petra stared at Mina in surprise before pushing the young boy slightly in front of her and introducing the boy to her co-worker. Mina, however, did not look down at Eren or even glance at the boy. Instead she reached out to Petra and placed the back of her hand on Peta's forehead. "Did you hit your head? Are you ill?" she asked.

"What? I'm fine," Petra declared firmly while staring at Eren in confusion. Was Mina jesting her? While Petra continued to try to persuade Mina that she was fine, Eren decided to speak up, but Mina did not react upon hearing the young boy speak.

"Petra, you are the only person in the whole world who can see me," Eren spoke calmly as Petra stared at the young boy in shock. "Petra?" Mina called when she received no answer from the former. What? What was going on? Petra could see the world beginning to blur and the ground starting to sway beneath her feet. What did Eren mean? Could Mina not see him standing right in front of her? But how … ? "Petra!" Mina shouted, but Petra couldn't hear anything anymore as the whole world faded to black.

000

"Petra, can you drop this off at the main desk before you leave?" Mina called out from her office while waving a folder in front of Petra's face. Petra turned around after putting on her coat, preparing to meet the rainy weather that has been inhabiting the town for the past few weeks. She smiled at Mina and let out a heavy sigh half between exasperation and amusement. Mina, a cheery, black haired girl, with a sweet personality to match her ever present smile is as kind as humanly possible, but that didn't stop Petra from throwing a jab at her about being lazy which Mina immediately responded with an angry pout and a slight scoff of amusement before Petra parted off. Both co-workers giving each other a slight wave.

Petra, after dropping off the folders, pulled her jacket further up, hood over her head as she drew the collar closer towards her in an attempt to draw in more heat. Her fingers already curling around the front of her jacket where the top button wouldn't close before leaving the building. The cold immediately hit her and the rain pelted from above causing her to internally berate herself for not bringing an umbrella, but Petra could only shrug this off as she let out little puffs of air into the frigid cold night. Perhaps she should have offered to take a night shift seeing as she wouldn't be doing anything at home.

Home, the word was foreign to Petra now. She couldn't remember the last time she and Oluo had sat by the fire on frozen, cold nights like this and slept together curled in a cocoon of warm blankets with a pot of tea sitting nearby. She had loved those days where they would talk endlessly to each other about the future they wanted. The grand house they would get, the pet dog that would sit loyally by the door, the places they would go, the world they would see, and the home they would create. But the it had stopped.

Something had changed in Oluo ever since he had met with _that_ man. Petra abhorred it, and she couldn't possibly fathom what in the world Oluo was thinking attempting to get into business with someone so obviously dangerous, and it was this very lack of understanding that had led the first few cracks in their marriage which would later lead to the great chasm that stood between them now.

Petra let out a heavy sigh, eyes staring intently at the ground as the rain continued to run along the crevices of her raincoat and splash upon the pavement. Her finger still curled protectively against her collar when a slight splash of green caught her attention along the corner of her eye. Petra's eyes widened as her head jerked upwards in shock. There, standing perfectly still in the middle of the road was a boy. His dark brown hair left untouched by the wind or the heavy onslaught of rain.

Petra could feel her whole body freeze in surprise as her feet stopped moving and the only thing she could hear beyond the rain was her heavy breaths against the wailing wind. What was he doing? The boy still remained perfectly still in the middle of the intersection, not moving. She didn't understand, why wasn't he moving?

Petra's eyes widened in horror as she watched the red light turn green, could see the headlights of an oncoming car moving straight towards the boy. It did not slow down; it did not stop. Before Petra could realize what she was doing, she had found herself running towards the boy. Her breath coming out in rasps as her heart thudded and pounded against her chest. Her fingers automatically letting go of her coat where the buttons had broken and she could feel the hood of her jacket fall off from the sudden movement, the rain splashing against her cheek and running over her eyelashes, but nothing mattered except saving the boy. She ran forward, reaching the curve of the street, before hurtling herself towards the small child in an attempt to protect him from the oncoming car.

The boy, hearing the splashing from Petra's boots, whirled around in surprise. His eyes widening in shock as Petra also looked back in horror and fear. She reached out and tried to wrap her arms around the boy's body, but her hands met nothing. Petra let out a surprised gasp as her body collided heavily with the ground, her breath suddenly knocked out of her as she met the full impact of the paved road. Pain searing down her side as she heard the sound of the car skidding to a halt. The bumper having already hit her side heavily upon impact and the inability to stop the momentum due to the heavy rainfall, but Petra didn't remember being hit by the car. She couldn't remember feeling the impact, only the pain that came afterward.

There was a scream, the sounds of honking and shouting, and the sound of approaching sirens that flashed across the ashened sky,

Deeply, within the voids of her mind, she could barely hear the sound of crying and sobbing right beside her.


	5. Chapter 5

The next time Petra woke up, she found herself staring into the bright, green eyes of Eren. The young boy staring at her intently with a sullen look on his face. Her eyes drifted across the room slowly, taking in the familiar sights of a hospital bed and the steady sound of beeping. Here again, of all places.

Her eyes then turned back to Eren. The young boy refusing to make eye contact as his face was filled with an expression of doubt and regret. "I remember now," Petra whispered quietly which caused Eren to look up in surprise. "I remember you and the accident," Petra continued as her eyes began to drift. She was exhausted, yet she couldn't help but feel as if a weight had been lifted. It wasn't suicide, and that knowledge alone brought her great joy.

"Oluo was here, but Mina had demanded he go home," Eren spoke out softly. Remorse still laced heavily in his tone as if he was taking the blame for all of Petra's burdens directed at himself. Petra continued to stare at him through her half lidded eyes and waning gaze. "Tell me … ," she spoke in a raspy voice. "Tell me everything."

Eren fidgeted in his chair, hands wringing nervously on his lap. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"Who are you?" Petra asked.

Eren stopped fidgeting, his green eyes now staring intently at his hands as if searching for the answers there. Finally, upon finding nothing, he then turned to look at Petra. "I guess you could call me a ghost." he started softly. "I died in this hospital six months ago in the medical wing. I don't remember much of how I died, but I think I was murdered."

Petra flinched in surprise, the beeping monitor accelerating slightly before she forced herself to calm, worried that the sudden change would alert the staff members. "Murdered?" Petra echoed once her heart beat returned to normal. Eren only shrugged his shoulders slightly. Having come to terms with the facts, he didn't seem the slightest bit fazed. But wait, that couldn't be right.

"Aren't ghosts supposed to go to the afterlife? Don't tell me this is purgatory," Petra said worriedly in rush. Eren tilted his head in confusion at the word purgatory which caused Petra to wave her hand in dismissal and tell him to forget it. The boy too young to understand such things. "So, why are you here?" Petra asked curiously as the boy continued to stew in his own silence.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"His name is Levi," Eren spoke out exuberantly. His sudden burst of energy when describing his friend causing a smile to form on Petra's face.

"He must be very important to you."

Eren's face fell slightly into pure sadness. "I can't find him, and even if I could, I wouldn't be able to reach him." Petra stared at the boy in confusion. "Why not?" she asked out of curiosity and utter disbelief. Eren once again began to smother in silence before he looked up at her with a hidden resolve and sadness wallowing away in his intense gaze. "As a ghost, I am bound to the place I have died, I can not leave this area for long, or I will disappear."

"So then why were you crossing the street the first time I saw you?"

The boy winced at the sudden reminder of the repercussions his actions have caused Petra, and he looked at her sheepishly while bowing his head in apology. "I was searching for Levi outside of the hospital, but my time was running out … I'm sorry," he confessed while once again bowing his head in shame. Why was he apologizing? Petra could only blink in confusion.

"You say disappear … Wouldn't that simply mean to pass on?"

"Yes, but … I can't. I can't leave this world without finding Levi first," Eren declared sadly.

"Perhaps Levi simply moved away," Petra tried to speak softly in a comforting tone to the boy but Eren shook his head adamantly.

"Levi is already dead, I can feel it. But he hasn't passed on yet either, and I don't know why. I refuse to disappear, not until Levi makes it as well. Not until I know he's safe."

The boy had taken on an air of sadness which caused Petra to try to change the subject in hopes of distracting him from his futile searches.

"Earlier, you said I am the only person who can see you."

Eren nodded his head in confirmation. "I have given up on contact with others. For the past two years, I have been wandering the hallways hoping that Levi would come here, but it seems that Levi is already dead, and I can not find him."

Petra's eyes glazed over with sadness. "I see … ," she whispered quietly. There was a moment of paused silence before Eren reached out for Petra's hand, and Petra complied in confusion. Her hand, although still weak from her sudden blackout, remained suspended in the air as Eren reached out and held her hand much as a child would do when seeking comfort. Petra opened her mouth to question the boy but stopped. If Eren has been wandering the halls alone for the past two years with no forms of contact to the living world then perhaps that also meant that he had lost all senses of touch.

Overwhelmed with the need to comfort him, Petra reached out and soothingly petted the brown locks of Eren's hair. The boy looked up in surprise, seeming to have unconsciously reached out for comfort without knowing and was now startled out of his stupor. He, at first, flinched from her touch before slowly relaxing and then falling asleep next to her bedside. The boy's face falling into a peaceful slumber. Petra could only watch and wonder. When was the last time Eren had actually touched something solid? When was the last time the poor child had spoken to someone? Such was the doomed fate of an ill-fated child left to wander the empty hallways and dark corridors alone.

000

"Are you sure your alright?" Oluo asked for the umpteenth time. Petra held back a sigh of exasperation and rolled her eyes fondly at her husband. "Yes, I'm fine." Oluo could only nod his head worriedly as the pair headed back to their humble abode. They didn't own a car seeing as all the buildings were so intricately constructed into a small compacted area. There simply was no need for a vehicle in the city, so the two found themselves walking home through the thick clouds that obscured the morning sun.

"The weatherman said it will rain for the rest of the week," Oluo said to break the tension as it was obvious he didn't know what to say. Petra only laughed at his attempt before grabbing his arm and effectively dragging him around the city while telling him that he owed her a good meal from a bakery she had heard Mina compliment. Though when he asked why, she had merely smiled at him with a teasing expression before ignoring him and dragging him across the street.

It had been fun, and Oluo seemed to enjoy himself as the pair continued to childishly wander the open stalls, and when it started to rain, hid under the slanted roofs of a nearby building while snuggling close from the chilling winds. Petra had smiled the whole day and had refused to allow a single thing to dampen her mood because it was easier to pretend. Pretend that Eren's problems had not whittled its way into her heart, and pretend that she didn't know who Levi was.

 **AN- Today is a pretty short chapter but thank you for reading and any reviews/comments would be greatly appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

Petra was off work again due to her sudden collapse in which Nanaba had berated her for ignoring her health, and Petra, with no other choice, meekly apologized. Once again left to her own devices in the apartment, Petra quickly grew bored and immediately came to the conclusion to visit Oluo. With a box of goodies underneath one arm and a small container of tea leaves in the other, Petra set off.

However, upon reaching the station, Petra did not immediately head towards Oluo's office but instead turned to wander the hallways. Her eyes searching curiously around the empty rooms that were drastically different compared to the hospital hallways she had become familiar with. Petra, after a few more minutes of fruitless searching, gave up with a single huff of exasperation and heavy disappointment before turning around and heading back towards Oluo's office.

But as she took a step forward, she smacked straight into the broad chest of a man. The box she was carrying falling to the ground from the sudden impact. Flinching back Petra immediately opened her mouth to shout out an apology but stopped mid-sentence in surprise. "You!" she yelled out instead. Standing before her was the very same man she had met on the stairwell. He appeared no differently from before and didn't appear fazed at her sudden declaration or her ability to see and physically touch him. Instead, the man merely bent down to pick up the fallen box before wordlessly handing it back to Petra and then began to walk away much as he had the first time they had met.

Was it really him? Petra couldn't be sure, but she had to try, for Eren.

"Wait!" she shouted out. "I've been looking for you." The man didn't appear to have heard her as he continued walking away towards the bend which Petra knew that the second he turned, he would once again disappear. Left with no other option she ran in front of him while dropping the boxes onto the ground and shouted, "Eren is looking for you!" This caused the man to pause mid-step and stare sightlessly back at Petra. "Please!" she continued. "Your Levi right? Eren will never rest until he sees you. You must go see him!"

The man, Levi, said nothing and only continued to stare at Petra as she stared back, eyes alight with determination. There was silence and then Levi tried to shove past Petra but, she refused and only stepped into his path and line of sight again. "Please!" she shouted out desperately in a vain attempt to persuade him. Levi finally halted in his steps, his face still impassive.

"Tell Eren that it is time for him to leave this world," the man spoke quietly with a voice that held hidden power and resolve, yet Petra could hear the underlying sense of pain and sadness that was laced heavily within each syllable he spoke. Petra froze in shock which gave Levi a chance to edge past her, but Petra quickly shook away her surprise and bolted in front of Levi again.

"Eren has been searching for you for two years, and that's all you have to say?!"

"I am bound to this place," Levi stated angrily while waving his hand to gesture to the building and empty rooms. "I can not leave, and we can not meet. It is best for Eren to simply forget my existence and disappear from this world." Petra flinched, as if she had been slapped. The man's harsh words stung, and she began to feel anger towards Levi's lack of interest and sympathy towards Eren's misfortunes. How could he say such things to a child?

"Your an insufferable man," Petra stated angrily under her breath. She would have said more, but she could tell that Levi was not giving her the full truth. "Why are you still here?" she asked instead.

Levi only stared back. "You act like you don't care about Eren, but if that were the case, why are you still wandering these empty corridors? Why don't you just disappear if you don't care that much?" Levi said nothing. "You want to see him too, don't you?" Petra continued, but Levi ignored her and walked towards the bend at the end of the hallway. This time Petra did not follow. She could only stare at the ground angrily, angered at her own inability to help Eren, and angered at Levi's lack of attempts.

"I can't disappear."

Petra looked up in shock at hearing Levi's voice. She turned to look at him and watched as the man stood right before the bend, back still facing towards her. "I refuse to disappear until Eren makes his way home. I owe him that much, I promised him that one thing," Levi spoke so softly that Petra had to strain to hear him. She could feel the words settle in her mind as she watched Levi turn around the corner and vanish from her sight.

000

Petra was walking home in the frigid cold once again. Her breath coming out in puffs of fog. Her scarf wrapped securely around her neck and face in a futile attempt to keep warm. After returning back to work from her short absence, she had decided to forgo working in the office to go home early in an attempt to beat the onslaught of rain that the weatherman had warned on the forecast earlier that day. Bringing her files and reports with her, Petra clung the papers close to her chest and gave a light jog towards home. Eager to return to the comforts of the small apartment before the drizzling gave way to more precipitation. The thought of warm food and curling into a cozy cocoon of blankets on the futon edging her onward and motivating her stride.

Petra was turning around the corner when she smacked head first into someone. Letting out a startled gasp, she immediately reached out to grab the folder before it smacked into the ground and found its way into the nearest puddle. Upon grabbing the folder, Petra immediately let out a relieved sigh before hugging the papers close to her chest and looking up at the person who she had bumped into.

"My deepest apologizes," spoke a gruff voice of a tall man. Petra found herself staring at the man in surprise. He wore a black suit with neat blonde hair evenly parted to the side and eyes staring intensely back at her despite the warm smile on his lips.

Realizing he had spoken to her, Petra immediately waved her arms in dismissal as she hurriedly spoke and stumbled over her words in the process. "It was my fault, I'm sorry."

The man flashed another warm smile before shaking his head. "No, it was truly my fault, is there anything I can assist with to make amends?" Petra shook her head quickly, finding the man oddly polite. "I'm fine, no harm no foul," she replied politely back before bowing her head in another apology before excusing herself and hurriedly walking home before the rain thickened, but even as she left, Petra could still feel the man's icy gaze watching her from the distance.

000

"Good morning," Petra said tiredly while giving a slight wave to Mina, who returned the gesture. Petra then let her hand fall as she lightly patted Eren's head in a small greeting that remained unnoticed by the swarm of workers and patients. Eren's face split into a wide grin as he too greeted her with a happy wave and a just as eager "welcome back!"

The two had formed an odd friendship with each other over time and would bask in each others' presence during Petra's break. They would talk about Eren's life, Oluo, how their days had been, and sometimes, in rare occasions, the topic would stray towards Levi, although there had always been a single feeling of fear as Petra wondered how Eren had died. The word murdered, was not one to take lightly, and it worried her deeply that someone had attempted to kill such a sweet, innocent child and succeeded. But Petra could never find it in herself to ask the boy, and Eren never mentioned it. The closest they had ever come to the topic being when Eren had mentioned that he and Levi had been on the run from a very frightening man that wished to kill them. Petra would have asked for more information if it had not been for Eren's shaking hands and quivering voice that urged her otherwise. Instead, she hugged him because no matter how mature Eren acted, he was still but a small child.

It had been one day as Petra was eating lunch in her office, Eren perched eagerly on the high chair next to her, that Eren asked her the dreaded question.

"Have you been able to find Levi?"

Petra paused, her eyes widening in surprise as she stared at Eren blankly for a second. She had been attempting to avoid the topic in case Eren inquired as she knew the boy wanted to ask for her help in searching for Levi, yet at the same time, he didn't want to flat out request her for more favors.

But it was true, she had met Levi. She had even spoken to the man and bumped into him twice, but she couldn't tell Eren that. Not after what Levi had said. She couldn't tell Eren that Levi wanted him to disappear, thus she could not tell him that she had met Levi in the first place, and she certainly could not tell Eren that Levi was currently bound to the police station or the boy would take off and search for the other there. The mere thought of Levi telling Eren in person, should they meet, to just disappear, after all the time the boy had spent searching for the former would destroy Eren.

So instead, Petra merely shook her head sadly with a slightly disgruntled face. "I'm sorry."

Eren gave a pout, his eyes drawing in worriedly as he slumped heavily in his chair before suddenly straitening out again and letting out a happy grin. "It's okay!" he said hurriedly in an attempt to ease Petra's regrets. "I know your trying, and I don't want to bother you any more than I already have."

Petra could only watch sadly as Eren once again drawled on a time he had met a strangely bizarre women that had been extremely kind to him and would play with him when Levi was in one of his bouts of misery. But when Petra asked Eren for the woman's name, Eren could only scrunch up his face in deep thought before slowly saying, "Hanji? I think that was her name," before slowly admitting that he had a sinking suspicion that she too had succumbed to death.

Petra continued to speak with Eren yet her heart clenched painfully each time she thought of him. You liar, her consciousness whispered to herself, you lied to him. Even as Petra finished her shift and began walking home through the eerie darkness of night, her regrets continued to pester her.

What you don't know can't hurt you, but Petra knew, and it hurt.

 **AN- We're half way there to the end of the story, not that I picked up many of you along the way, haha, but regardless, thank you for reading and thanks to anyone who has reviewed up to this point. I greatly appreciate it!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Lightly sprinkle the meat with seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste," Petra mumbled to herself as she held the printed sheet of paper in one hand and the other holding a canister of dried herbs. She had recently decided to print out a list of recipes while given free time during work and was now staring blankly at the sheet of paper with a slight look of distaste because she couldn't understand how everything she had bought came pre-salted.

Oluo was sitting at the table, his eyes bleary and on the verge of drooping to blissful sleep when Petra started setting the plates down, ceramic leaving a heavy thud on the table. Oluo's eyes stuttered open as he gave a slight smile of appreciation before turning to watch the rain fall heavily upon the rafters and clink to the cemented ground below.

Petra hesitated.

She had been debating for the past few days on whether or not she should tell him, discuss it with him. But there never seemed to be a right moment, then again when was there ever a right moment? Finally, with a resolved sigh, Petra allowed her shoulders to sag in defeat and bravely turned to her husband.

"Oluo, we need to talk," she said confidently yet felt the feeling wither to dust the second he looked at her. "What's wrong?" he asked politely with a mildly confused face and a slight smile. "I need to talk to you about the accident," Petra spoke calmly even as her heart thrummed against her ribcage and her insides screamed with fear. Although Oluo could not see it, her fingers trembled underneath the hem of her apron.

There was a pause, silence, and then, a frown.

Petra could feel her heart drop before she willed herself to pursue the knowledge that has plagued her for so long. Because now that she knew it was not a suicide attempt, she wanted Oluo to understand as well that what had happened was not his fault, that he shouldn't feel regrets, and more importantly that she loves him and always had.

"Please," she added, but Oluo was not allowing her to continue. "There is nothing to talk about," he spoke gruffly with a voice that suddenly sounded ages older and exhausted. "Oluo, I know you thought it was suicide, but I know what happened and-"

"Stop."

Petra stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes widening in surprise at the sudden roughness of his voice and the anger that welled within his words threatening to break free and expose itself to the world. "Stop talking about the accident. What's done is done." Petra stared at Oluo's face. Lines drawn upon his skin seeming wider and deeper and the clear signs of age starting to form itself on his youthful face. Understanding his sadness, Petra tried to reach out and rest her hand on his cheek much as she had done in the past when he came home exhausted from work, but instead of his usual reaction of leaning into her outstretched arm, he flinched.

A non subtle, outright flinch that caused Petra to retract her hand as if she had been stun.

"Oluo," she continued sadly, "I only want to tell you-"

"No, Petra. I don't know what you remember, and I understand if your angry with me. I could even understand why you would prefer death, but don't try to give me excuses and do not try to make me understand why."

"That's not what I meant!" Petra shouted desperately. "It wasn't suicide! I would never leave you!" Petra knew she was beginning to sound cliché, but he had to know. But instead of easing his worries, Oluo only looked back at her sadly. "I don't know what happened exactly that night," he began slowly with an air of heavy sadness. "I don't know if it really was suicide or not, but whatever it was, you are not the same person as you were back then. You couldn't possible know what I have done, so you couldn't possibly understand what the Petra I knew was thinking, and you most certainly can not pretend to think you know." His voice punctuating each 'you' in a separate annunciation of anger that caused Petra's heart to reflexively thud in pain each time she heard it.

There was a thick heavy silence that stung like acid in the air. Petra could feel tears threatening to spill, prickling over the lashes of her eye. Her heart twisting in a painful way as if someone had plunged their hand into her chest and literally squeezed. She said nothing and the only thing she noticed from then on was the sound of her own beating heart spluttering in her chest and the smell of burning from the pan on the stove.

000

The apartment was filled with a thick, heavy silence that smothered each breath Petra took and forced the life sustaining substance from her lungs. The tension was just as thick as the two stared dully at the food in front of them, neither daring to take the first move.

Petra opened her mouth in an attempt to apologize when the doorbell let out a loud, shrill ring that caused her to immediately flinch and clamp her mouth shut before looking down at her trembling hands in heart pounding fear. Oluo, seeming to have not noticed her plight, looked at the door for a brief second before releasing a heavy sigh, slowly getting up, and then walking towards the door in a resigned manner while whispering under his breath on how businessmen should understand that dinner time was the worst possible time to confirm residency and barge in.

Without even confirming the occupant on the other side of the door, Oluo slammed the door open with a gruff "What do you want?" in response.

Petra waited.

Usually at this point he would rant to the other in an irreconcilable fashion with the most bizarre of excuses as to why he loved yet hated businessmen with a deep, heavyhearted fashion, or whatever other excuse the man could come up with, but no, there was only silence.

Petra then turned around to see who had come and her eyes widened in surprise. Oluo was standing paralyzed in front of the door, eyes wide, jaw slack, and fingers clenched nervously around the door frame. The man in front of him was a tall blonde with icy, steel set eyes that Petra immediately recognized.

"You," Petra whispered in shock as she slowly got up from her chair and turned to peer more closely at the man to indeed confirm her suspicions. "You're the man I met earlier."

The man looked up at her in mild amusement although he couldn't seem to help but smile at her as she walked closer, seeming to have noticed her presence and gave a slight look of startled surprise although it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Ah yes. Once again, my deepest, humblest of apologies. It's a surprise to meet you here, and my sincerest apologies for coming at such a horrendous time but I must speak with Oluo on some matters," the man said politely which only further confused Petra as she nodded her head slightly in acceptance although her face told otherwise.

"I was not aware that Oluo had … other acquaintances … ," Petra spoke wearily because the man had yet to startle from his plunder of shock before adding , "I don't believe I know your name." And he didn't know her's either.

A flutter of surprise once again swept its way across the man's face as he gave a deep bow, hand flat to his chest. "My name is Erwin, and what, pray tell, is your name?" he asked back politely.

"Petra," she responded back simply before Erwin reached his hand out to grasp her shoulder in a whole hearted welcome. But before he could touch her, Oluo jerked back to reality and proceeded to shove his way between the two with eyes glaring in a death match with Erwin's. Lips drawn back in a scowl with his voice filled with unrestrained pent up rage in a loud shout. "Don't touch her!" he angrily spat at Erwin before he suddenly flinched and bent his head down in pain.

"Oluo!" Petra shouted in worry. Did Erwin do something? She hadn't seen anything, yet she had no doubt what a man like Erwin could do. Her fear increased when Oluo didn't respond, but as Petra nervously flitted around Oluo, she could immediately tell why. The man had, once again, bit his tongue in the greatest of times resulting in a slight trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth where his hands hurriedly wiped it away in a stubborn action of anger.

"Petra is your wife I presume," Erwin asked in amusement, not the least bit surprised by Oluo's small episode, and if anything, finding the action greatly amusing if his facial reaction was anything to go by. But Oluo didn't hold back any punches. "You already know the answer to that. Now tell me why you're here," he spat out angrily with his tongue still red from blood and slurred from pain.

Erwin smiled politely, yet there was a slight concealed look of aggravation hidden within the depths of his eyes. "May I come in? Surely you don't want your gossiping neighbors to listen in," he reasoned before Oluo paused and eventually, very reluctantly, stepped aside to let Erwin walk in. Petra also side stepped the man nervously before guiding him to the kitchen where the food still sat plainly on the table.

"Will you be staying for dinner?" Petra asked as Erwin sat down at an empty chair and took off his scarf and heavy coat, but the man only shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I must politely decline. I'm only hear to talk with you husband on some business matters. It will be short." Petra nodded slightly in understanding as Oluo walked closely behind Erwin, his posture stiff with his muscles clenched painfully. Eyes alight with concealed fear as he too sat down but not before speaking to Petra in a curt voice of suppressed pain. "Petra, would you please go to the other room? This is of private matters."

Normally Petra would shout out her defiance and retort angrily, demanding that she stay, especially when someone as dangerous as Erwin clearly put both her and Oluo on edge, yet there was something about Oluo's face, the way his voice quivered, and the stiff body posture he couldn't quite shake off no matter how much he tried to loosen.

He was afraid, deathly afraid, and worrying about Petra was the last thing he needed.

With a reluctant nod, Petra quickly walked out of the room towards one of the short hallways where she pretended to open a door and then closed it in a quiet breathy release of air followed by the click of the door meeting the frame. Petra then held her breathe, waiting for the two to speak, and upon hearing the beginning of greetings, slowly and quietly slid down to the floor where she sat nervously in the hallway taking in shallow breaths.

The two wasted no time in their conversation as Erwin went straight to the point. "Where is the money?"

"I'm getting it, you'll have to wait a little longer."

"A little? It has already been six months and I'm running out of patience. Normally I would send someone else to do these mundane tasks, but I thought a little reminder would have better results."

There was a pause. "Cut me some slack," Oluo spoke in frustration. "Some problems arose and money has become problematic."

"Ah yes, that _problem_ ," Erwin spoke with a stress on the last word. "Your wife, I heard about what had happened. A pity truly. But perhaps that worked in your favor. She was already filling divorce papers was she not?"

There was a heavy silence as Petra held her breath, heart pounding painfully against her ribcage.

"My relationship with my wife, or anyone else for that matter, has nothing to do with you."

"Yes, yes, I understand completely," Erwin replied calmly despite the underlying threat that hung from Oluo's words. "But I also believe that you owe me and it would be such a shame if news got out to the public forcing you to quite your job, lose your reputation, your wife, everything that you know and love. I'll take it all."

Oluo then became angry. "What more could you possibly want!? I helped you, even after I saw what you have done. I helped you and I have kept my mouth shut. What else could I possibly give you?"

There was another pause of heavy silence and then "Work for me. Someone in your position could prove useful later on."

There was no hesitation as Oluo spoke vehemently, "I told you, I want no part in your world or your business. After all this is over, I refuse to speak with you and all contact ceases to exist."

"But you're still in debt, and if you can't pay up by the end of the week, you will have no choice," Erwin spoke calmly. There was silence and then the undeniable sound of the click of a gun that caused Petra's eyes to widen in shock and her heart to stop momentarily in fear. "Do I make myself clear?"

There was silence; no response.

After a few more seconds of heavy tension, the two resumed their conversation. "Why did you do it?"

"Why?" Erwin asked in a gruff voice of slight amusement. "Well I needed the boy's cells. He was practically on his death bed already, so as far as I'm concerned, I did him a favor by putting him out of his misery. As for the other, … who can say. Perhaps a grudge or something else … ," he replied in a languid tone. "That one, is a secret."

"That's still not a good enough reason to kill a man much less a child," Oluo spoke bitterly which caused Erwin to let out a booming laugh as if they had merely been conversing over a sports play or the newest rumor that has spread throughout their work. "Perhaps not," Erwin continued in a slightly petulant manner before adding, "But it's far more fun that way."

Another pause and then, "Besides, Levi and Eren had it coming."

000

Petra had enough.

She was so confused, so muddled in utter chaos that lacked any common sense, yet she knew it was true. Because as much as her mind has been left in complete turbulence since her amnesia, Petra knew that there was no way, somewhere deep withing her inner conflict and perturbation that such nonsense could possibly be falsified.

But as much as Petra was in denial, it did not change the fact that she now knew. Her husband was, in some way, aiding an odd, and obviously powerful and dangerous, man who had murdered an innocent child and another man in cold blood. The very people who's ghosts she can now see.

However, through all the confusion, there was now one thing that Petra could clear up. She now understood why Oluo was so adamant about the secrecy of their past relationship. She now understood why the Petra of the past, before the amnesia, wanted a divorce.

There was now a thick, heavy cloud draped over her shoulders in a mental cocoon of torturous pain that she could not escape. The knowledge that she is married to a man that had helped take another. The knowledge that she had befriended a child who's murderer is acquaintances with her husband.

It made her heart ache.

That's what knowledge did to the psyche. It twisted the imagination, the reality, to a excruciating prison that befuddled the mind and tempted the idea of death.


	8. Chapter 8

Petra walked to work an hour earlier than normal and found her muscles moving in a robotic like fashion as she practically dragged her way across the busy streets of early morning rush hour and then signed in for work much as she had done every morning. However, unlike other mornings, she found her feet moving on their own straight towards Mina's desk rather than her own, and before she knew it, Mina was standing in front of her worriedly while calling out her name, both hands wrapped securely over her shoulders as if she would topple over at the slightest of winds which really wasn't too far fetched from how Petra felt.

"Are you okay Petra? You look pale," Mina continued to ask worriedly upon receiving no response from her coworker, but Petra could only hear the slightest of sounds that echoed dully through her ears and thus remained unresponsive with her head cast down, hair fringing over her eyes.

"Petra?" Mina asked again.

Suddenly, Petra couldn't handle it. Her suppressed feelings of fear, shock, and confusion leaving her in a state of utter depression as she held back a slight sob while trying to hold in the tears as much as possible, but her inner emotions refused to be kept inside and burst forth in a deep sob followed by flowing tears.

Mina's eyes widened briefly before she immediately stepped closer to Petra and wrapped her arms around the other in a deep hug followed closely by singular pats and gentle circles to the back. She didn't say anything as she continued to hug Petra, trying to put comfort through touch rather than words. Petra couldn't hold back the stifles and sobs that led to more erratic breathing much to her embarrassment, and in the corner of her eye, she could barely make out the bright green eyes of Eren staring back before he disappeared.

000

Petra wouldn't lie, her relationship with Oluo had done nothing but falter and slowly fizz out to the point that it was unbearable. The two were left in an awkward tumble of struggling emotions as Oluo tried desperately to bridge the gap between their dying relationship, yet Petra remained unresponsive to all his advances.

"Petra, please tell me what's wrong," Oluo asked again in an attempt to clear any remaining distance between them yet Petra only looked away. "You have to talk to me."

There was once again silence as Petra refused to look at the other, eyes still trained on her hands that sat delicately in her lap. Oluo watched her for a few more seconds before letting out a heavy sigh of frustration and slowly getting up off his aching joints before turning to leave the room.

"What did you do?"

Oluo paused in shock before quickly turning around to look back at Petra, yet she had still not moved. "What?" he asked quickly in hopes to keep her talking.

Petra still did not look up. "You said I don't understand what the Petra you knew was thinking or what she knew, so tell me. Make me understand so I can decide for myself. Tell me what you did." Petra knew what he had done, but if Oluo truly cared, surely he would tell her why; why he did what he did.

There was a pause, heavy silence, and then the sound of Oluo's shoes thudding against the carpet floor before he once again bent down to look at Petra in the eyes despite her head still being bowed down. He stared up at her for a long pause and then whispered quietly "If I had known what any of this would have lead too, I would never, _never_ , had done it."

This got Petra's eyes to focus back onto his face as she watched him with emotionless eyes and a stoic face. Oluo gave out another nervous shallow breath before elaborating further on his previous statement. "It started six months ago when I was at work." he began. "It was my job to secure the prisoners. We had recently received a new one that was going to be shipped to a higher security prison ward after we had finished the documents but before then, on that very day, a man had snuck in to the building and shot the prisoner point blank in the chest. I ran in at the sound of a bullet but came face to face with the killer. He told me that if I turned him in, even attempted anything, then he would destroy my life and take everything that was ever important to me.

"Petra, please understand when I say I didn't have a choice. He was going to kill you. Do you know what that would mean to me? How that would destroy me. What choice did I have but to help cover for him, allow him to escape, destroy the security footage, and claim that I saw nothing."

Petra said nothing and only watched as Oluo continued to stare into her eyes, searching for some signs of reassurance that she agreed or had forgiven him, but upon finding none, let out another sigh before whispering quietly, "That man was Erwin, so promise me one thing: just one thing. Whatever you do, stay away from him. Promise me."

000

Petra was worried. Actually she was terrified.

Eren had disappeared and had yet to return and it put her on edge. She had not seen or heard of the child since her mental break down, and now she was in mid-panic, frantically searching for him while trying not to look like a completely utter maniac to her coworkers.

"Eren?" Petra whispered throughout the hallways as she continued to search in vain for the ghost of the wandering child. "Where are you?"

It was nearly the end of Petra's second shift and at this point of time she would normally be packing up to go home in an eager dash to return to the coziness of the apartment room, but she was far to worried over Eren's safety to care of such trivial matters. The boy had not greeted her since her early morning shift and has remained scarce since.

What had happened to him? Was he hurt? Was that even possible? Or worse, what if he was just ignoring her? Did she do something that could possible warrant hate in the innocent child? Or what if he knew about her conversing with Erwin, his killer? Paranoia settled in to the pit of Petra's stomach as she struggled for air and attempted to allow her heart to rest from its constant pounding.

She had been searching the hallways for hours and was on the verge of throwing her arms up into the air and declaring resignation before something caught her eye. She was on the eight floor, the very place where she first found Eren in the middle of the hallway wandering around in lost confusion. But now, something felt odd. Perhaps it was the air but something felt different, something Petra could not define or possibly attempt to describe with words.

At the end of the hallway was a one of the patients rooms, recently cleared out, with the door slightly ajar and room pitch dark.

Slowly, Petra walked towards the room before reaching out to open the door further and stepping in carefully.

"Eren?" she called out quietly while straining her ears in hopes of a response. There was none as she noticed, in startled surprise, that the window was open. The light, flimsy curtains blowing lightly in the winter chill that settled in the room through the open window. Petra paused in confusion as to ponder over why someone would leave the window open during such a cold night in addition to it being on the eighth floor where all the sick were located and the rooms were purposefully monitored precisely to accommodate each patient.

Slowly stepping up to the window, Petra reached out to close it but was stopped by the sound of crunching underfoot. Petra stepped back, startled, as she glanced down and recognized the shine of something she had stepped on. Glass, broken glass lay scattered across her feet. Petra then looked back up in shock to realize that the window was not open, it was broken. The bottom half of the frame completely gone so that she had not noticed and had, in her confusion, mistaken it for being slid upward as it would be when opened.

Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong.

Petra immediately turned around and ran to the exit to tell Mina or Nanaba of her horrible discovery.

"Petra! Run!" a voice shouted causing Petra to immediately turn slightly to see Eren also in the room. The boy standing in the shadows where his eyes overflowed with saline tears that ran down his cheeks. "Run!"

Petra was left in a state of shock as she continued to stare at Eren, or rather not at Eren but at the person standing behind him. A towering man in a black suit that she had not seen earlier in her focus on the window. She then, upon realizing the situation, opened her mouth the scream but before she could utter a sound, someone from the shadows grabbed her shoulders, covering her mouth, and pulled her into the darkness of the room.

 **AN- Thanks for reading, and I love reviews. Hint, hint. ... no?**


	9. Chapter 9

Oluo let out another sigh of frustration as he continued to read the paperwork that had just been turned in … late.

Dang Gunther.

He is a good officer, trustworthy on the field and always one of the first people that Oluo would want protecting his back, but his paperwork skills were truly lacking. Surely there is only so many times that u can look like v and Oluo was already on the verge of throwing the man's papers least he squish another e to the point that it looked like an i without the dot which, for all purposes of understanding, Gunther did not put dots over his i resulting in a deep confusion, and pause, over when an i or an e was being used.

Honestly, Oluo had enough things to worry about other than this. Letting out another sigh, he had been doing that a lot lately, Oluo dragged the palm of his hand across his face an attempt to encourage himself one last attempt at waking up and finishing his work before once again picking up his pen and forcing his cramped hands to finish on schedule which was already two hours off.

It was then that Oluo heard a knock on the door and called the person in without looking up. Already knowing that only Eld would disturb him at this hour as Gunther didn't dare walk in, in case Oluo demand he redo his work. Eld walked in with a slight nod towards Oluo before handing him a written note.

"Someone at the front desk dropped this off and demanded that you see it now," Eld spoke calmly as he handed the folded scrap to Oluo who grudgingly took it with a tired sigh.

"Thanks," he mumbled to Eld before quickly opening the paper and reading the contents. He paused, reread the letter, reread it again, and then reread it a third time just to make sure that exhaustion had not corrupted his thinking process before slamming the note onto his desk and running towards the exit.

"Oluo!" Eld shouted out in shock as the other disappeared around the bend, coat already halfway on. Eld glanced at the letter wearily before dismissing it and running after Oluo quickly down the hallway steps.

Unbeknownst to the two, another figure stepped out of the shadows through the plaster walls before stopping next to the desk, pale hand reaching towards the letter.

000

There was a dull thrumming in Petra's head followed by the heavy pounding of an oncoming headache as she continued to stand, practically dragged up, by the brutish force of her captors followed with her arms pinned behind her back by those very same hands. She had easily been threatened for silence with a gun pointed directly at her head. An obvious warning that any call for help, scream or sob, would be followed by a bullet.

"You've become quite meddlesome," the man in the middle, tall and thin, spoke casually while flipping his own gun with one hand as if it were a baton. "The consigliere has found you rather bothersome."

Petra only glared at the man along with his two workers, the tall burly fellow that currently held her captive along with the third member that was holding the gun aimed towards her head. Eren was still walking nervously around the room in an attempt to help but found he could do absolutely nothing other than attempt to move a few supplies which were far to heavy for him.

"You said Eren, earlier," the man continued. "Tell me, how much do you know of that boy." There was a hint of a threat in his voice as he leaned in towards Petra causing her to flinch back nervously although she didn't dare go further as the man the second crony continued to stand dangerously behind her, meaty hands still gripped securely around her wrists in a painful death trap.

"I don't know anything," Petra spoke defiantly with shoulders squared and chin raised, eyes alight with anger.

The man gave a huff in response whether from amusement or frustration, Petra didn't know. "Well then, you must at least know that this room, this very room, is where he spent his last seconds, dying, painfully dying alone."

Petra's eyes widened and she couldn't help but glance at Eren who had stopped attempting to shove the desk down and crush the poor fellow with the gun. Instead, Eren paused, eyes downcast with pain as the memory washed over him and forced him down memory lane.

"Is this true?" Petra whispered quietly more to herself than looking for a response. "Yes, indeed, why would I lie? Such a pitiful existence that boy had." the abductor continued in a mocking tone while still waving the gun in midair, a constant reminder. But Petra was not listening for his response, instead she watched Eren carefully as the boy slowly looked up at her. "Yes," he choked quietly. "It's true."

That was all Petra needed to hear.

She would never stand for this. Having gotten to know and understand Eren for the past few weeks, Petra had grown fond of the other. She understood his pain, felt his loneliness, and accepted there were parts of Eren's life she would never be able to fathom, but this, this mockery of Eren's life when he understood nothing, this she could not accept.

"Eren now!" she shouted causing everyone to startle in shock. Eren's eyes widened before he was quickly spurred into action and with sudden strength that he originally lacked allowed him to kick the large desk down. Right on top of the abductor who let out a startled yelp of pain and shock as he was successfully pinned to the ground.

The gunner, shocked by the sudden turn of events had tried to reach out to help his fellow worker but was suddenly tripped by a cord that had mysteriously moved from where it lay behind the desk to across the hospital bedside. Eren grinned happily but Petra had no time to congratulate him as her captor loosened his steel grip on her wrists and she immediately took advantage of this by slamming her foot onto his small toe where she then pivoted herself around and kicked him as hard as she could in the knee. The momentum, however, was not enough as Petra felt the muscles of the man clench and absorb the force of her kick.

Petra flinched, knowing a bruise would later form on her calf, but ignored this to then struggle out of the man's grasp as she clawed at his bare arms causing the man to shout angrily and release her. Now free and able to turn around completely, Petra kicked him right in the place she _knew_ would hurt before running towards the only exit currently available. The door towards the hallway now being blocked by a large toppled desk and a gunman that had now turned around, gun aimed towards her.

Filled with fear, Petra bit her lip nervously as she ran towards the window, and without second thought, jumped through. A spray of bullets flying through the upper window causing a spray of glass to shatter onto the ground below.

Petra's eyes now widened as she suddenly remembered how many stories up she was. Eight, eight stories of falling.

"Petra!" Eren shouted as Petra stared in surprise. The boy had followed and was now free falling with her. In panic, Petra tried to reach out for him fearful that the fall would hurt him. Ghost or not, Eren was prone to touching inanimate objects and the sidewalk easily counted as such. But instead of reaching out for her outstretched hand, Eren merely slammed into her causing the air to rush out of her lungs as she was hurled to the side.

"Grab the ledge!" Eren shouted as Petra realized what he had been trying to do. The momentum just enough to allow her to reach the large ledge that stuck out at the corner of the building as a decoration.

"Petra!" Eren shouted worriedly as she scrambled against the smooth cement of the ledge, nails leaving bloody, red marks across the white where her fingers bled. Petra, watching Eren, saw the boy quickly descending down and before he could escape her reach, grabbed his hand. Perhaps Eren was already dead, but the fear of impact that all humans face did not change from Eren's eyes, and Petra would be dammed if she allowed the boy to fall.

However, the move proved dangerous as Petra, now with only one hand scrabbling for support on the ledge, was slipping at a rapid pace. "Petra, let go!" Eren shouted upon realizing the situation. "I can't get hurt!"

Petra glanced at Eren's face and despite his words of reassurance, could still see the fear in his eyes. He didn't want to fall and she wouldn't let him. Left with no choice, Petra watched the cars below before slowly letting go. Eren let out a startled gasp of fear as Petra reached out towards him and wrapped her arms securely around his small frame. She then flipped onto her back placing all impact on herself rather than him and then waited for the crushing blow.

As Petra had hoped, a large truck came hurtling down the road as Petra continued to fall. She watched as the bare metal came closer, closer before closing her eyes and gripping Eren tightly.

There was a loud bang as the metal compressed into itself and caved inwards from the heavy impact. Pain, pain, pain, pain, pain everywhere. Petra let out a soundless gasp of shock as the wind was once again forced out of her lungs and she laid there struggling to breathe, but even breathing was too difficult as her ribs protested painfully from the abuse. They were definitely bruised. Her shoulders, her back, her head, it all ached, but she didn't have time to rest as the driver of the truck, upon impact, took a great swerve to the right.

Petra's eyes widened in fear as she felt her body quickly being swung to the right with the momentum of the truck. Still gripping onto Eren, Petra felt her body get hurled across the truck's top and onto the street where she rolled in an attempt to diminish the impact, but with each roll, she could feel the grit of the road tearing into her skin leaving scratches marred across her arms, joints, and legs.

After a few minutes of continuous rolling, Petra could feel her body hit a final thud against the side walk where she stopped and closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the pain that radiated from her head to the tip of her toes. It was then that she heard a horn honking in a long strained sound that vibrated her skull and grew louder as it got closer and closer.

"Petra, move!" Eren shouted as he tried to shake Petra up although she was far to heavy for him to carry much less move out of the way in time. Thankfully, his fearful shaking startled her awake as she quickly scrambled up and hauled herself onto her feet before rolling onto the sidewalk in one fluid motion.

Petra then wheezed out in pain before flipping over onto her front and attempting to get up on shaky legs and arms. Passerby screaming in fear and a few attempting to help her. "Petra, are you alright?" Eren asked worriedly as his large eyes watched her in fear, but Petra could not respond as she started coughing, and spat out blood. Eren's eyes widened as Petra reaccessed her previous evaluation. Not bruised ribs: broken. Definitely broken.

There was still the sound of screaming and sirens when Petra heard clapping. Trying to get up, and eventually succeeding despite all her struggling, Petra turned around to see a man in a business suit standing by the hospital building just along the sidewalk. "Congratulations!" he shouted out in amusement while still clapping. Eren's eyes widened when he saw Erwin, obviously recognizing the other from when he was alive. But instead of cringing away as Petra had expected, the boy immediately tried to stand in front of Petra in a somewhat comical way of protecting her.

"I honestly thought that fall would kill you," the man continued casually. "Thanks for the rather amusing show."

Petra could see Eren shaking in fear as Erwin stepped closer. "I'm afraid this is where it all has to end," he spoke softly with no remorse as he pulled out a gun and aimed it towards Petra's chest.


	10. Chapter 10

Petra's heart dropped in fear as Eren once again tried to protect her by standing in front.

"Petra run!" Eren shouted. "I'll distract him!"

But they both knew he could not.

She would die. But why? Petra could not understand why Erwin was doing this. What could he possibly gain from this? She could only watch as the man began pulling the trigger as if in slow motion.

Suddenly the world erupted in sounds of sirens, screaming, and barking. The police. Petra turned around in shock as the police, armed heavily with guns came storming out of armored cars, guns raised and pointed towards Erwin. Dogs, barely restrained by their leashes were thrashing with teeth bared and snarls erupting from deep within their diaphragm followed by a line of slobber and drool.

Erwin frowned as a look of pure discontentment flashed across his eyes.

Petra could only watch in awe as renewed hope began to ebb its way through her heart. The police were shouting orders and demanding that Erwin not shoot least he trigger a full out armed attack. Suddenly, Eren let out a surprised gasp followed by a slight squeak of happiness much as a child would do on Christmas day. Turning to look where the other was, Petra stared in surprise as there stood black hair, gray eyes, frightening scowl and all, Levi.

"Levi!" Eren shouted out happily which caused the other to stare back fondly with a gentle smile gracing his lips. "Eren," he whispered back as the two stared at each other in admiration. Petra watched in amazement, the two finally reunited after so long but she was quickly pulled out of her daze when Levi walked towards her. His eyes back to the same steel, hard gray that promised grim news.

"Petra," he began gently but already she could feel the fear settle in as her eyes searched wildly for Oluo. Where was he? Surely he was the one that brought the police here?

"Petra, listen to me!" Levi continued which grabbed her attention, startling her out of her stupor. Upon receiving her attention, Levi continued. "Oluo got a note from Erwin less than an hour ago saying that you were kidnapped and that if he didn't go to the train station within the next hour, you would be killed. I brought the police here by giving the dogs a trail to follow, but you have get to Oluo. Knowing Erwin, he most likely sent someone to kill him. You have to go now!" Petra could only stare in shock as her knees began to buckle in fear and exhaustion. Levi, seeing this, grabbed her shoulders and roughly shook her. "Go!"

Petra, realizing the dire situation, immediately nodded her head, eyes alight with a new determination before she quickly ran off to the station. Adrenaline allowing her to ignore the pain of her broken ribs and the bruises and cuts that ached heavily against her flesh.

Levi watched her go before bending down to look into Eren's eyes. The police still running around them in a flurry of panic as they tried to restrain Erwin, ignoring the two ghosts that stood in the shallow light of the street lamp. "Follow her," Levi whispered quietly as he watch Eren's eyes dart nervously back and forth between Petra's retreating figure and Levi, torn between which action to take. "But … will I see you again?" Eren asked, his voice trembling with unshed tears.

Levi smiled back gently as he brought his hand fondly over Eren's head. He then bent down and placed his forehead against the others while whispering quietly "Not in this world. But in the next. Go home, and I'll follow you there, I promise, and I keep my promises." Eren stared back before reaching out to grab Levi's hand although all he could do was make a fist around the other's finger before nodding his head. "It's a promise," he declared determined before running after Petra in the distance.

Levi slowly got up and watched the boy quickly disappear though the darkness, leaving him under the fading light of the street lamp alone.

000

"Oluo! Oluo!" Petra shouted out in desperation which quickly earned her a few glares and surprised glances as she shoved past others. One hour, it had already been forty minutes by the time she had gotten the message and what would normally be a thirty minute casual walk to the station quickly became a eighteen minute sprint.

Where was he? Please be okay, she prayed internally as she continued to search wildly for the tall man. Anything, anything to indicate he was okay.

"Over there!" Eren shouted which startled Petra. What was Eren doing here?

"What are you doing here?" she yelled back at the boy not caring if others thought she was talking to herself in insanity. The boy ignored her and only grabbed her hand before hurriedly dragging her along where the many benches sat along the sides of the tracks, posters for upcoming movies and advertisements lining the pictured frames that hung in the dim lights of the lamps. Moths happily flitting around, drawn by the glow.

"You're supposed to be with Levi," she shouted. "If you don't go back now, you're going to disappear!"

Eren only shook his head in response. "I need to get you to Oluo before it's too late!"

Petra could only watch in shock as Eren insistently dragged her along. "Eren … ," she spoke quietly.

"Come on, come on! I saw him over there! Hurry!"

Petra nodded her head with more determination. "Thanks Eren," she whispered quietly before sprinting onward, leaving the other behind as he fought to catch up on shorter legs.

Petra continued to run, hair whipping her face frantically before she skidded to a stop in relief. There, sitting at a bench on the far end of the station was Oluo. The man sitting nervously as his eyes flitted around, searching for someone. "Oluo," Petra breathed out in relief.

Until her heart stopped.

Walking across the other side of the station was a man. Cloaked in black with a fedora pulled over his head and obscuring his eyes. Coat pulled over his neck as he hunched over heavily. A single gun in hand. "No," Petra whispered to herself before she suddenly, as if on instinct, began sprinting again. "Oluo!"

Oluo looked up in shock upon hearing his name, and his eyes immediately widened upon seeing Petra darting towards him in a dead run. "Petra!" he shouted in relief upon seeing her alive despite the many scratches that marred her skin and left bloody marks across her nurse uniform. But her eyes were not filled with joy but wild fear. She was screaming something at him but just at that moment, a train came screeching across the tracks creating a whirlwind that caused papers and fliers to scatter in the wind. Petra was still shouting while running towards him, yet even as he squinted, he could not quite decipher what was being said.

Suddenly Petra was in front of him, she had shoved him to the side in a strong tackle that left Oluo breathless and in shock. The man immediately falling to the ground from the impact. "What?" he spoke out in surprise just as a loud bang resounded through the air and the whole world stopped.

There was screaming, everyone was panicking as people began to retreat and run from the station towards the exits, but Oluo didn't notice. All he saw was blood. It soaked the ground staining the world red in its crimson hues. Thick, oozing blood, that spread through the cracks on the ground like growing spiderwebs, dripping along the cobblestones. Petra was on the ground.

"Petra?" Oluo asked in a shaky voice before quickly getting up and running towards her collapsed body that now lay where he had been standing not a few seconds before. "Petra, Petra," he cooed quietly as he gently lifted her head onto his lap. Petra's eyes briefly opened as she groaned in pain before spitting out mouthfuls of red. Her eyes, slightly fuzzy, began to refocus on Oluo where she gave him a weak smile. "Your okay," she whispered.

Oluo felt tears burn his eyes as they attempted to escape. "What about you?" he asked quietly. Petra lifted her hand slightly to gently rest it on Oluo's cheeks before replying, "I'm okay." Oluo couldn't stop the tears from flowing as he cradled her, blood still pooling beneath them.

Petra could feel the burning pain, it hurt, it hurt everywhere far worse than the eight story fall. However, all she cared about was Oluo, yet she was tired, so tired …

"Petra! You have to stay awake!" Eren shouted from beside her. The boy's hands gripping her arm tightly although he didn't dare shake her in fear of worsening her wounds. "Please! You have to live!" Petra could here the sound of Eren and Oluo screaming at her, but Petra couldn't stop the exhaustion from settling in. Her eyes dropping tiredly as she slowly allowed everything to numb from the cold or the pain, she could not tell.

Everything was beginning to grow quiet and fuzzy. Her vision blurring, Petra tried to open her eyes one last time to see Eren standing before her. The boy was watching her with those large, green eyes that she remembered had first caught her attention when she had first met him in the hallway. The boy staring at her sadly. "Live," he whispered quietly. Petra couldn't quite hear what he said but she could see the words on his lips as the boy's body slowly began to fade. The solidified flesh disintegrating into ash.

Petra tried to force her eyes open as she reached out to touch the boy one last time, but by then it was too late. The ashes scattered through the air and with the movement of her hand, Eren's body spread with the wind where it disappeared into the cold, night air.

He was gone.

Petra could only stare mutely at what had happened before her eyes slowly slipped close and she allowed the darkness to envelope her.

000

The first thing she could hear was the slight sound of buzzing in her ears. An irritating noise that she tried to push to the back of her mind while she slept, but the sound was persistent and refused to subside. Within minutes, it grew in momentum into a large wailing, like sirens. Petra opened her eyes but immediately closed them from the harsh lights, her eyes dimming as the colors of red and blue streaked across the sky and she slowly allowed the darkness to once again consume her amid the buzzing noises of shouting and screaming.

Deeply, within the voids of her mind, she could barely hear the sound of crying and sobbing right beside her.

The next time Petra woke up, she was immersed with the sudden feeling of pain. There was the slight constant ache that pounded against her head, the dull thrum of her heartbeat against her ribcage and the painful ragging breath that was forced out of her lungs and raked against her throat. With a pained groan, Petra arose, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light that penetrated from the window. Her fingers slightly twitched in irritation from the sudden onslaught of light before her hand reached upward to block and defend herself from the oncoming sunlight.

What had happened?

Blinking away the pain, Petra could feel a heavy weight settled against her side forcing her eyes to widen as she craned her neck slightly. She blinked back her surprise upon finding a man siting on the plastic chair near the bedside, his body leaning forward until his arms rested on the bed's railing, his head still buried within the mounds of a pillow that he was holding. Petra could hear the sound of snoring almost as much as she could feel it, the slight tremor of each breathe that came out sounding more like the snore of a carnivorous bear than that of a normal human.

Petra stared for a second before she allowed a small smile to grace her lips. Reaching out, she placed her hand gently on Oluo's head as she began to soothingly play with the curls of his hair. She remembered, of course she remembered.

Letting him sleep some more, Petra leaned back and tried to relax as the bullet wound continued to persist painfully against her side and her ribcage still screamed its protest. It was then that a shadow fell over her bedside causing Petra to quickly startle and look up. Standing before her was Levi.

The man's eyes watching her carefully, silver meeting amber.

"Is Eren … ?" she asked quietly, allowing her voice to fade as she remembered.

"Yes, he has passed on," Levi spoke quietly as Petra stared at her left hand where she had tried desperately to grab onto the boy. Gone, he was gone.

Finally, after a paused silence, Petra whispered quietly, "Thanks Levi, for everything." Levi nodded his head curtly, and after another slight pause, Petra asked, "Umm, do you-"

But before she could finish, Levi answered. "No, I do not hold a grudge against your husband." Petra smiled slightly at this before glancing down at Oluo's sleeping form. No doubt he had slept at her bedside twenty four seven, and she couldn't have been more grateful.

"Will you be okay?" Levi asked and Petra could easily tell it was not something he was familiar with saying.

"Yes, I'll be fine. We'll be fine."

Levi nodded his head slightly before adding, "I would like to thank you for helping Eren go home." His voice was gruff with embarrassment, obviously not used to thanking people either, but Petra ignored this and only smiled back.

"You should go. He's waiting for you."

Levi gave another curt nod before showing her a slight twitch of his lips that bordered along a smile and a smirk. Just as Eren had done, Levi's body slowly disintegrated. Ash flowing freely before it spread across the room in a glittering haze, and he too was gone.

 **AN- It's finally finished! Thank you for all who have read this story, and even more thanks to anyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed. Your support is greatly appreciated.**


End file.
